With Beauty and Sorrow (1965)

Documentary / Romance

TW: Blood, Death or Dying, Pregnancy / Childbirth, Self Harm and Suicide

Worth Watching? Yes

Bechdel Test? Fail

Race Bechdel Test? Pass

Major LGBT Tropes: Depraved Homosexual, Lover and Beloved, Pragamatic Pansexuality

Synopsis (from letterboxd): When the man who seduced the famous painter Otoko as a teenager–and then wrote a bestselling novel about it–reappears in her life, her pupil–and lesbian lover–hatches a plot to destroy the man and his family.

My Thoughts: The shot framing and use of shadows, particularly in scenes between Otoko and Keiko, is stunning. I'm quickly falling in love with classic Japanese films. Otoko and Keiko have fantastic chemistry. In most of these early movies, especially where there is any amount of intimacy, you really feel the women recoiling. Not the case here. There's a whole ear kink going on in this movie if you're into that kind of thing.

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Queer Body Count: 0

Straight Body Count: 1

Total Queer Body Count: 10 (29%)

Total Straight Body Count: 13 (9%)

Queer Sexual Violence Victim Count: 1

Straight Sexual Violence Victim Count: 0

Total Queer Sexual Violence Victim Count: 5 (14%)

Total Straight Sexual Violence Victim Count: 1 (1%)